1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surface texturing and, more particularly, to surface texturing of orthopedic implants.
2. Related Art
With the great advances in medical care in the past few decades, life expectancies have been considerably increased. With these advances have come additional expectations that the quality of life in later years will remain high. Senior citizens enjoy an active lifestyle. The confinement of the elderly to wheelchairs or immobile lives, common just a generation ago, is now considered unacceptable.
One of the reasons for the realized improvements in quality of life of the elderly has been the great success of orthopedic implants in the past forty years. Hip, knee, shoulder, spine and other implants have resulted in increased activity and reduced pain for millions of people worldwide.
However, orthopedic implants have a limited life, with modern hip or knee implants having a useful life of between 15 and 20 years. Many factors contribute to the limited lifespan of orthopedic implants including, for example, fatigue failure, corrosion and, most commonly, wear or osteolyses (bone weakening) due to a biological response to wear particles. Recognizing this, implant manufacturers have developed superior polymers, such as highly crosslinked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and more recently, new tribological material pairs, such as ceramic-on-ceramic and metal-on-metal implants. Such advances have not eliminated the ultimate requirement to replace the initial implant with a revision implant.
Unfortunately, revision implants are often found to be far more problematic than initial implants from a medical and rehabilitation standpoint. For example, more bone and soft tissue trauma are encountered than in initial implants, pain is greater and rehabilitation is longer. Any technology that extends the life of an orthopedic implant would be welcomed by physicians and patients alike.